Two recent pop-punk releases are eerily similar to each other, mainly because the bands are about the same age and also because they’re both in danger of becoming stale acts. One of those bands is Sum 41- their 07 release of “Underclass Hero” wasn’t anything to admire and the other band is Simple Plan. They just released a self-titled disc- their third album- for Lava/Atlantic. While it’s not a bad album it proves a basic point that Pierre and the guys of Simple Plan might be getting too old for this particular band and it might be time to move on to something else. You can’t really sing about how much it sucks to be a teenager when you’re in your mid to late twenties. The new album doesn’t have that kind of content, but unfortunately Simple Plan- the brand- will always be associated with that. I will admit that this album can become a guilty pleasure- easily. Because Pierre Bouvier has always had a unique voice and a great sensibility of what works with his music- there are some great songs on the album – the two singles “Your Love is a Lie” and “When I’m Gone” are updated Simple Plan songs that carry the album. Then there are lots of great album tracks near the end of the record that carry it home like “I Can Wait Forever” and “Time to Say Goodbye”- and when you get to it there are some tracks that are easily forgettable but nothing that’s horrible. So while Sum 41’s “Underclass Hero” doesn’t work in 2007 or 2008 Simple Plan’s new album passes. I do think that it’s time for the band to move on- and they probably will this year or next but while Simple Plan’s third album isn’t a send off for the band it kind of feels like it.